Volcanic Mudslide Buries Colombian Town of Armero on November 13
The 1985 disaster killed roughly 23,000 people, marking the deadliest volcanic event in the country's history.
By Neha Kapoor ·
A volcanic mudslide destroyed the town of Armero in Colombia on November 13, 1985. The event resulted in the deaths of approximately 23,000 residents. This date marks the 317th day of the year, with 48 days remaining until the end of 2026.
The 1985 tragedy remains the primary historical reference for this date. The mudslide buried the city entirely, causing massive loss of life in a short period. Local records and historical accounts confirm the scale of the devastation in the region.
Other events occurred on November 13 across different centuries. In 1775, American troops under Gen. Richard Montgomery captured Montreal during the Revolutionary War. This military action was a key step in the Continental Army's campaigns in Canada.
In 1909, a fire inside a coal mine in Cherry, Illinois, killed 259 men and boys. The incident stands as one of the deadliest mining disasters in American history. The specific location and the number of victims are documented in state records.
The 20th century saw several other major occurrences on this day. In 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that Alabama bus segregation laws were illegal. In 1971, the Mariner 9 space probe entered orbit around Mars, becoming the first spacecraft to achieve this feat.
More recent history includes the 1982 dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. In 2001, U.S.-backed Northern Alliance fighters entered Kabul as Taliban forces retreated from the capital. The 2015 attacks in Paris killed 130 people, making it the worst attack on French soil since World War II.
In 2022, four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed in their rental home in Moscow, Idaho. Suspect Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the murders in 2025, receiving four life sentences without parole. Today also marks the birthdays of several public figures, including actor Joe Mantegna, who turns 79, and hockey Hall of Famer Gilbert Perreault, who turns 76.
